jonnybravo0311
Registered
Hi everyone! I'm a long time lurker who finally decided to sign up. A little bit about me:
I've always loved the water - I'm pretty sure I could swim before I could walk. I grew up spending as much time as I possibly could in pools, oceans, lakes, ponds and rivers. Being able to explore the incredible diversity of the underwater world was a natural extension of that love of the water. To that end, I was certified as a PADI open water diver in 2000.
From my very first time breathing underwater in the pool, I knew I was hooked. The sensation was unbelievable. My early dives were spent off the coasts of Maine and NH shore diving. It's where my certification dives were, and it was close to home (I lived in NH at the time). Sure, the water was cold and the visibility was poor. However, seeing the sea floor full of lobsters, or having fish eating cracked urchin out of the palm of my hand was amazing. When I couldn't make it to the ocean, or just wanted to switch it up a bit, I'd dive some of the lakes around NH. I did my first tropical dive in Jamaica. The difference was astounding. I could see practically to infinity and there were bright colors everywhere. Oh, and I didn't have to wear a full 7mm farmer john with hood, gloves and half my body weight in lead
.
I continued to dive the cold waters, and as time and expenses permitted, would head down to the Caribbean for some warm water fun. Between commitments to work and raising children, my underwater adventures were less often than I would have liked, but I made it a point to always get in as many dives as I could.
Fast forward a bit to now. I moved to NJ about 5 years ago. Most of my diving was done in the Caribbean, usually as an excursion while on a cruise so I only got in 4 to 5 total dives a year in the one or two cruises I would take. In September of last year, while planning a vacation to Grand Cayman, I decided it was high time to own my own gear. Yes, throughout my entire dive history, the only gear I ever owned was mask, snorkel, fins and wetsuit. I constantly rented, and experienced quite a range of gear, from over-used to extremely nice.
So, I contacted my local dive shop and purchased a new mask, fins, boots, BCD, regulator and dive computer. I also purchased some exposure protection (some from my LDS, some from DRIS): a skin suit and a 3mm shorty for the tropical waters, and a custom built USIA Techniflex drysuit. I took a refresher course with them so I could get into the pool and try my new gear and get weighting and trim right before heading down to the islands. As soon as my drysuit comes in (should be in my hands this week), I'll be doing the certification. I also took my Nitrox certification with them, and have planned to continue on diving with them this year getting my advanced open water certification. Surprisingly, I never bothered with it previously. I'm looking forward to supporting my local shop and also getting credit for dives I already do. They dive Dutch Springs a lot, so I'm looking forward to that (never been).
I also love underwater videography and photography. I am by no means an expert in either. However, since my wife cannot dive with me (inner ear problems don't play well with pressure), it's the only way to share the underwater world with her. She puts up with my amateur skills.
Finally, I will be a volunteer diver at Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ. I'm very excited about it. Not only do I get to blow bubbles with some incredible animals, but I also get to share my love of diving and the underwater world with guests during shows. With luck, I'll be starting my volunteer time around March.
I'm happy to be here, and look forward to learning and sharing my own experiences with everyone.
I've always loved the water - I'm pretty sure I could swim before I could walk. I grew up spending as much time as I possibly could in pools, oceans, lakes, ponds and rivers. Being able to explore the incredible diversity of the underwater world was a natural extension of that love of the water. To that end, I was certified as a PADI open water diver in 2000.
From my very first time breathing underwater in the pool, I knew I was hooked. The sensation was unbelievable. My early dives were spent off the coasts of Maine and NH shore diving. It's where my certification dives were, and it was close to home (I lived in NH at the time). Sure, the water was cold and the visibility was poor. However, seeing the sea floor full of lobsters, or having fish eating cracked urchin out of the palm of my hand was amazing. When I couldn't make it to the ocean, or just wanted to switch it up a bit, I'd dive some of the lakes around NH. I did my first tropical dive in Jamaica. The difference was astounding. I could see practically to infinity and there were bright colors everywhere. Oh, and I didn't have to wear a full 7mm farmer john with hood, gloves and half my body weight in lead
.I continued to dive the cold waters, and as time and expenses permitted, would head down to the Caribbean for some warm water fun. Between commitments to work and raising children, my underwater adventures were less often than I would have liked, but I made it a point to always get in as many dives as I could.
Fast forward a bit to now. I moved to NJ about 5 years ago. Most of my diving was done in the Caribbean, usually as an excursion while on a cruise so I only got in 4 to 5 total dives a year in the one or two cruises I would take. In September of last year, while planning a vacation to Grand Cayman, I decided it was high time to own my own gear. Yes, throughout my entire dive history, the only gear I ever owned was mask, snorkel, fins and wetsuit. I constantly rented, and experienced quite a range of gear, from over-used to extremely nice.
So, I contacted my local dive shop and purchased a new mask, fins, boots, BCD, regulator and dive computer. I also purchased some exposure protection (some from my LDS, some from DRIS): a skin suit and a 3mm shorty for the tropical waters, and a custom built USIA Techniflex drysuit. I took a refresher course with them so I could get into the pool and try my new gear and get weighting and trim right before heading down to the islands. As soon as my drysuit comes in (should be in my hands this week), I'll be doing the certification. I also took my Nitrox certification with them, and have planned to continue on diving with them this year getting my advanced open water certification. Surprisingly, I never bothered with it previously. I'm looking forward to supporting my local shop and also getting credit for dives I already do. They dive Dutch Springs a lot, so I'm looking forward to that (never been).
I also love underwater videography and photography. I am by no means an expert in either. However, since my wife cannot dive with me (inner ear problems don't play well with pressure), it's the only way to share the underwater world with her. She puts up with my amateur skills.
Finally, I will be a volunteer diver at Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ. I'm very excited about it. Not only do I get to blow bubbles with some incredible animals, but I also get to share my love of diving and the underwater world with guests during shows. With luck, I'll be starting my volunteer time around March.
I'm happy to be here, and look forward to learning and sharing my own experiences with everyone.
